My Ethical Culture: Theresa Forsman

How does Ethical Culture show up in my day-to-day life? Two ways.

First, it is a great relief, day in and day out, to belong to a community that, in the big picture, shares my values, a great relief to be part of a community that “gets it” in a way that I do. I wasn’t looking for a religion, I wasn’t looking for an organization, when I walked in the door here for the first time. I had seen a little calendar item in the newspaper describing what seemed like a fascinating talk. That talk happened to be at a place called the Ethical Culture Society. So I got myself over here. The talk was, indeed, fascinating. And in the question/answer session after the talk, in comments people made, I realized that here was a group of people who saw the world more or less as I did. I hadn’t known that my particular values had a name: Ethical Culture. Finding that out was a great comfort back then, and now—15 years later—it’s a comfort still.

The second way that Ethical Culture shows up in my day-to-day life is that people here help me walk the walk. Examples set by people in this Ethical Culture Society make it easier for me to put into practice the theory that every human being is worthy of dignity and respect and that by providing this dignity and respect I am thereby elevating my own.

I am very clear on the worth and dignity of each person as a theory, as a belief, but as a practice? Well, that’s much less easy…I am much less clear about putting the theory into practice.

In the daily slog it’s often easier NOT to appreciate the value of each person and to treat him or her accordingly. What helps me do the right thing, more often than I would otherwise, are the examples set by many individuals here. In ways big and small, people here with plenty of responsibilities, plenty of demands on their time—in short, plenty of rational reasons for NOT stepping up and doing the right thing—step up and do the right thing.

I won’t name names, because I would never be able to cover all the good examples that I have learned from and because I don’t want to risk embarrassing anyone. I’ve witnessed many comments and deeds by people in our Society that have shown me how to be when I’m out there in nitty-gritty life and wondering whether I can summon the wherewithal to do the right thing, the Ethical Culture thing. I’ll take this opportunity to say: Thank you for that. My actions don’t always match my Ethical Culture philosophy, but they match more often because of what I’ve heard and seen in you.

Theresa Forsman
September 27, 2009

Platfofrm Video: Reclaiming Ethical Culture Spirituality

The following ECS/Bergen Platform address was delivered on Sunday, September 27, 2009, by Anne Klaeysen (introduced by Deb Watsky):

Anne Klaeysen: Reclaiming Ethical Culture Spirituality (9/27/2009) from Ethical Culture Society Bergen on Vimeo.

Ethical Culture founder Felix Adler frequently used the language of spirituality: for example, “holy,” “sacred,” “divine” and “soul.” He told us to “conceive of progress spiritually.” Yet over the years, we have become uncomfortable with this language, ceding it too readily to traditional theistic communities, cautious of what supernatural visions we may be conjuring. “What a loss!” says Leader Anne Klaeysen, who will address us on the necessity of developing authentic Ethical Culture spiritual practices.



Introduction by Deb Watsky

HumanLight 2009

Humanists of all stripes will be interested in the nascent HumanLight celebration. Remember Christmas, Hannukah or Davali from your childhood? Looking for a non-theistic supplement to those supernatural-linked celebrations? The 2009 HumanLight holiday will be on December 23. Join the humanists in seasonal celebration!

Visit the HumanLight website or watch this YouTube video:

Platform Video: The Establishment Clause: Church and State in the 21st Century

The following ECS/Bergen Platform address was delivered on Sunday, September 20, 2009, by Derek Araujo (introduced by Ken Karp):

George W. Bush transformed the composition of the federal courts through eight years of judicial appointments. The judges he appointed have wrought striking changes in the law, including Establishment Clause jurisprudence. In light of these changes, protectors of the wall of separation between church and state must reexamine their strategic approach to defending our secular democracy.

Derek Araujo: The Establishment Clause in Exile - Church and State in the 21st Century (9/20/2009) from Ethical Culture Society Bergen on Vimeo.

Nation relives a more troubling aspect of its past

An article by the Leader of the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, Dr. Joseph Chuman, was published in today's print and online editions of The Record. In it, Chuman draws parallels between the "suspicious discontent" described by historian Richard Hofstadter in his 1964 essay "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" and the town hall charades of today's vocal opponents of health care reform. (See page A-11 of the September 19 Record, or click here for the online version).

"[I]f we wish to see civility restored to our political discourse", Chuman concludes, "we need to sustain a sturdy faith in reason — supported by the facts — as the governor of public life."

Dr. Chuman will present a full-length address teasingly titled "Reflections on the Lunatic Fringe" on October 4, 2009, at the Ethical Culture Meeting House in Teaneck, NJ.

Platform Video: Ethical Culture's Distinctive Voice

The following ECS/Bergen Platform address was delivered on Sunday, September 13, 2009, by Dr. Joseph Chuman (introduced by Ed Gross):

For the last twelve months we have been visited by an unprecedented number of newcomers. Clearly people are attracted not only by the warmth of our community but by what we stand for. But what do we stand for? Dr. Chuman reflects on the ideas and values that make up Ethical Culture’s “distinctive voice.”

Dr. Joseph Chuman: Ethical Culture's Distinctive Voice (9/13/2009) from Ethical Culture Society Bergen on Vimeo.

For the last twelve months we have been visited by an unprecedented number of newcomers. Clearly people are attracted not only by the warmth of our community but by what we stand for. But what do we stand for? Dr. Chuman reflects on the ideas and values that make up Ethical Culture’s “distinctive voice.”